Steering-fork for bicycles or other vehicles.



No. 649,691 A Patented May 5, I900. C. F. HARRINGTON.

STEERlNG FORK FOR BICYCLES OR OTHER VEHICLES.

(Application mm Apr. 19, 189851 (No Model.)

m; uaRms vmns ca. moraumo wAsHmmur.

CHARLES F. HARRINGTON, OF LYNDIIURST, NEYV JERSEY.

STEEPilNG FDRK FOR BICYCLES OR OTHER VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 649,691, dated May 15,1900. Application filed April 19,1898. Serial No. 678,107. on model.)

To (tZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES F. HARRING- TON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Lyndhurst, county of Bergen, and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSteering-Forks for Bicycles or other Vehicles, fully described andrepresented in the following specification and the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to improvements in bicycle construction, and moreparticularly to the construction of steering-forks for bicycles of thatclass in which the fork sides extend above the bottom of the frame-headand are united above and below the frame-head and to an improvedhandle-bar connection for use with steering-forks of this class.

The invention aims especially to provide a construction of greatstrength and rigidity and to relieve the strain upon the crowns andfork-stem caused by the usual screw-cone adjustment.

As a full understanding of the invention can best be given by a detaileddescription of a construction embodying all the features of theinvention in the preferred form, such a description will now be given inconnection with the accompanying drawings, showing such a construction.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a broken perspective view showing so muchof a bicycle as is connected with the present invention. Fig. 2 is asectional elevation of the head and upper part of the steering-fork of abicycle constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 3 is a planview of the parts shown in Fig. 2, partly in section, on the line 3 ofFig. 2. Fig. 4 is a broken side view of the upper part of thesteering-fork and head, showing myimproved handle-barconnection; andFig. 5 is a plan of some of the parts shown in Fig. 4, partly insection, on line 5 of Fig. 4:.

Referring to the drawings, is the head, 11 the top bar, and 12 the lowerbrace, of a bicycle-frame.

15 15 are the side bars or fork sides of the steering fork, which carryat their lower ends (not shown) the axle of the front wheel 16 of thebicycle, as usual. The fork sides 15 15 are permanently united below theframe-head 10 by means of a cross-connecting piece or lower crown 17,which supports the cone 18 for the lower head-bearing, the balls of saidbearing running between said cone and the cup 19, carried by the head.The fork sides 15 15 are also united, preferably permanently, above theframe-head, as shown, to form the upper crown 20, which is formed withan opening to receive the upper cone-sleeve, the fork-stem, and thehandle-bar stem, as hereinafter described. The upper ends of the forksides may be united to form the upper crown 20 in any suitable manner,but are preferably formed integral, as shown.

Secured at its lower end to and extending upward from the lower crown 17is a central tubular stem 21. The stem 21 is formed near its lower endwith a shoulder 22, which rests on the top of the cone 1S, and its lowerend is threaded to receive a lock-nut 23, by which the stem is clampedto the lower crown 17, with its shoulder 22 bearing on the cone 18. Thestem below the shoulder 22 is preferably screw-threaded to screw intothe cone 1S and the crown 17, and the extreme lower end, which isthreaded for receiving the nut 23, will then be reduced in diameter, andone of said screw-threads will be a right-hand thread and the other aleft-hand thread.

The upper end of the stem 21 is preferably threaded to receive anadjustable collar 25, the lower end of which forms the cone of the upperhead-bearing, the balls of which run between the cone and the cup 26 onthe up per end of the frame-head 10. The cone-col lar is also threadedexteriorly to receive upper and lower locking collars or nuts 27 and 28,which bear, respectively, on the upper and lower sides of the uppercrown 20 for securing the upper end of the stem 21 and the upper crownrigidly together, the opening in the upper crown being of such size asto permit the cone-collar 25 to pass freely therethrough. The lowerlocking-nut 28 is also shaped so as to form a dust-cap for the upperhead-bearing, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The upper end of the stem 21, above the portion threaded for receivingthe cone-collar 25, is preferably reduced slightly in diameter toreceive the handlebar-clamping collar 29, by which the upper end of thestem is clamped about the handle-bar stem 30, the stem 21 being formedwith slits extending a suitable disthereof on the fork sides.

tance from the end thereof to allow the stem to be clamped about thehandle-bar stem, as common in such cases.

The parts being constructed as described are assembled as follows: Theballs and bottom cone 18 are first placed within the cup of the lowerhead-bearing and the balls into the cup of the upper head-bearing andthe dustcap upon the balls, and the head is then placed between thecrowns of the steering fork. The stem 21 is then passed downward throughthe upper crown and head and screwed through the lower cone and thelower crown and secured in place by the nut .23. The conecollar 25 isthen screwed down on the stem 2l and within the dust-cap 28 until theproper adjustment of the bearings is secured. Then the dust-cap 28 isscrewed up against the under side of the upper crown20 and the locknut27screwed down against the upper side of the crown 20, thus securelyuniting the upper end of the stem 21 to the crown with the cone-collar25 in proper adjustment. The

handle-bar stem is then adjusted in position in the upper end of thestem 21 and secured by means of the clamp 29;

Referring now to the handle-bar construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5, thehandle-bar 35 is carried by a bracket 36, the two ends of which areprovided with clamps for securing the bracket to the fork sides 15 15and for permitting upward and downward adjustment These clamps arepreferably of the form shown, each consisting of a strap or collar37,which extends about the fork side and the ends of which are broughttogether to extend through an opening in the end of the bracket 36 andare screw-threaded to receive a lock-nut 38. On the ends of the strap37, between the end of the bracket 36 and the fork side, is a chair orclamping block 39, having its outer end formed to provide a seat for theend of the bracket 36 and its inner end formed with inclined sides tobear on the strap 37, so that by turning the lock-nut 38 the strap 87will be drawn tightly about the fork side 15 and the end of the bracket36 securely clamped between the block 39 and the nut 38. It will be seenthat with this construction the straps 87 may be readily sprung andplaced about the fork sides 15 15, and the blocks 39, bracket 36, andnuts 38 being placed in position the bracket, with its handle-bar, maybe securely clamped to the steering-fork and may be readily adjustedupward and downward thereon, as desired. It will be seen also that thisconstruction permits of a wide range of adjustment of the handle-barboth by adjusting the clamps up and down on the fork sides and byreversing the bar. With the handlebar secured in this manner theclamping-collar 29 will not ried by the fork sides substantially as inthe construction just described a long reach is secured withoutincreasing the length of the frame or the length of the handle-bar, andconsequently without sacrifice of rigidity. It will be understood thatin this feature of the invention I am not to be limited to theconstruction of steering-fork shown herein, but that my improvedhandle-bar construction may be used in connection with other forms ofsteering-forks of the general class having sides extending upward abovethe lower end of the frame-head.

It will be understood that I am not to be limited to the preferredconstruction shown as embodying the various features of the invention,but that the invention includes changes and modifications thereof withinthe claims.

What I claim is 1. A steering-fork having its sides united above andbelow the frame-head and having a removable stem with means for securingit to the lower crown, said stem carrying one member of the upperhead-bearing, and means for securing the stem to the upper crown afteradjustment of the upper head-bearing,-substantially as described.

2. A steering-fork having its sides united above and below theframe-head, and having a removable stem with means for securing it tothe lower crown, a collar adjustable on said stem and forming one memberof the upper head-bearing, and means for securing said collar to theupper crown, substantially as de-' scribed.

3. A steering-fork having its sides united above and below theframe-head, and having a removable stem extending upward from the lowercrown, and an adjustable collar form ing one member of the upperhead-bearing and screwed on said stem, substantially as described.

t. A steering-fork having its sides united above and below theframe-head, and having a stem extending upward from the lower crown, anadjustable collar forming one member of the upper head-bearing, saidcollar being threaded internally and externally-and screwed on saidstem, and lock-nuts on said collar for looking it to the upper crown,sub-' stantially as described.

5. A steering-fork having its sides united above and below theframe-head, and having a removable stem, said stem having a bearing-coneadjustable thereon near its upper end and forming one member of theupper head-bearing, substantially as described.

6. A steering-fork having its sides united 7 A steering-fork having itssides permanently united above and below the framehead, and having astem extending between the upper and lower fork-crowns and removablysecured thereto whereby the stem may be removed from the forkindependently of the upper and lower crowns, substantially as described.

8. A steering fork having its sides permanently united above and belowthe framehead, and having a stern extending between the upper and lowerfork-crowns and remov ably secured thereto, and a handle-bar carried bythe fork sides between the upper and lower crowns, whereby the stern maybe removed from the fork independently of the upper and lower crowns andthe handle-bar, sub stantially as described.

9. The combination with a steering-fork having its sides united aboveand below the frame-head, and having a stem 21, bearingcollar 25, andlock-nut 27, of a handle-bar carried by the fork sides between the upperand lower crowns, substantially as described.

10. A steering-fork having its sides united above and below theframe-head and having a stem 21, lock-nut 23, bearing-cone 18,bearing-collar 25, lock-nut 27, dust-cap 2S, and clamp 29, substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

CHARLES F. HARRINGTON.

Witnesses:

O. J. SAWYER, T. F. KEHOE.

